Let us blame the internet and social media for it. Now, than ever before, it’s very easy for us to gather in a single “room”, so we use that as an opportunity to speak our minds.
There’s nothing bad in speaking your mind, but what dominates your mind dominates and controls your life.
Yes, our governments (especially in Africa) are not doing well. But government never did well, after all and complaining about them will not necessary change the history.
Let me explain.
Because you are in the world at this present political era, you might have heard or read how some past leaders of our countries did exceptionally well.
Well, you have been told LIES!
Go back and ask people who were alive and old enough to understand happening in those days, 60s, 70s, 80s etc. Let them tell you about the public reactions to then political or military leaders.
What was it like?
Complaint. Complaint. Complaint.
People have always been complaining and will forever be complaining.
I will tell you the reason… there will never be any time in the history of the world when everybody in a certain community or country will be rich.
I forgot to tell you… there was never a time like that too (except before Eve ate the fruit, you know)
Life has always been tough, governments have always got too many problems to solve, and people have always been poor.
Then, do I mean to say that we all should keep quiet and let the political leaders do whatever they like?
That’s not what I’m saying.
I mean, let those who have a lot of time and those who feel called to political activism be busy doing the criticism.
You should get busy ruggedly creating your own life.
The problem with spending so much time criticizing the political leaders is that when you’re busy doing that, your mind cannot be focus on creating your own life at the same time.
In fact, there is a tendency of you becoming extremely bitter about your country and then conclude, “Nothing good can ever come out of this country”.
So many Nigerians and Africans have reached that point, unfortunately.
Little wonder so many people want to leave their country, thinking, “I cannot be rich here. The political leaders have destroyed the economy”
With such thought and conviction, only miracle can make you rich.
Stephen, but it’s very painful seeing (are you really seeing?) how government officials are embezzling money!
You’re right, but what can you do about that?
Yes, you can make noise on Twitter, Facebook or even lead a protest, except you’re a called activist, the result will still not give you much fulfillment (not to talk about bringing food to your table).
Why don’t you just face your life and forget the “Maradonlas” in our government houses?
I know their policies affect your life and business. I know their negligence costs you money. I know their theft put you in darkness when you should have constant electricity, but what do you think your bitterness can achieve?
Distracted focus, unhappiness and flimsy excuses.
It’s not uncommon to hear people saying, “I’m unemployed because the government of my country is corrupt” or “I’m poor because the government is bad”
Maybe, but how does such thinking change your life?
Think about this analogy…
If your child was rushed home from school and her teacher says, “Sir, your child was stoned in the forehead by a passerby”, what will you say/do?
Will you rather ask for the culprit’s identity, plan a lawsuit or take your child to the hospital first?
You know the answer.
Only a foolish man will see his daughter in blood and still be concern about “dealing” with the culprit, instead of taking his child to the hospital.
Learned something from my analogy?
Your nation’s well being should be your concern, but your personal prosperity should be your priority.
I know I may not make sense to many people, but that’s how I think.
I’m an activist by nature. I love to point out errors and advocate for a change (you know I criticize school a lot?), but when your criticism can actually do little to change the situation on ground plus making you bitter and giving you the reason to make excuses, then, you better face your life.
What you should know…
National prosperity is a mere dream.
Whenever you see people making noise about this and that, you can easily perceive that they are expecting national prosperity. They wish (and want) their country to be wealthy, thinking that’s when they too can be wealthy.
That’s a mere dream.
National prosperity is a mere dream. The only thing attainable is individual prosperity.
No matter how good the government of a country is, no matter how good the economy of a country is, there will always be some (many, millions of) people who are poor, very poor.
Think about America, very rich with good economy, right? Yet, over 5 million Americans did not find what to eat last night.
Will you say the United Kingdom is very rich? But many people are homely there.
What am I saying here?
Even in a prosperous nation, even in a “perfect” economy, there will never be a situation where everyone is rich.
Who are those that can be rich?
People who think like orphan.
How do I mean?
As a child, whenever you think that you have parents, something in you tells you that they should be responsible for your life. However, if you think like an orphan, something in you tells you that you’re on your own, so you have to get crazy about life if you want to achieve anything with your life.
People who think they have government, I tell you, are more likely to be poor than people who don’t think about government.
That’s why I advised you to think and live like an orphan.
Let me explain this from another angle.
For most animals, just after few weeks of coming to life they are already independent, living their lives, searching for their foods, shelters etc. However, in the human kingdom, even after 25 years of existence, most of us are still 100% dependent on our parents.
Why is this so? Why are animals, creatures far weaker than us, live independently and we are not?
It’s because we grow up being thought that some people (parents, employers, governments etc.) are responsible for our lives.
When you think too much about what others owe you, you won’t have time to think about what you owe yourself.
Forget what your civic teacher taught you in primary school that government owes you job, security, good road etc!
Start thinking of what you owe yourself.
Criticizing government is making you poor and poorer because it’s leading you to bitterness and flimsy excuses (i.e., I’m poor because the government is bad)
Think less of government. Expect less from government. Expect more from yourself. Think and live like an orphan and you’ll be wealthy.
